Jonah & the Fish

A prophet who ran the wrong way

A long, long time ago, God spoke to a man named Jonah. God's voice was clear: "Get up, Jonah. Go to the great city of Nineveh, and tell the people there to stop being so wicked."

But Jonah did not want to go. He did not like the people of Nineveh. They were mean and they were enemies. Jonah was afraid that if he told them about God, God would forgive them — and he did not want them forgiven.

So Jonah did something silly. He ran the other way. He hurried down to the seaside town of Joppa, found a boat sailing as far away as he could imagine — to a place called Tarshish — and climbed aboard. Down, down, down he went into the belly of the ship. He curled up and fell fast asleep, thinking he had escaped from God.

The wild and windy storm

But you can't run away from the God who made the seas. As the boat sailed across the deep blue water, God sent a great wind. The waves rose up like mountains. The boards of the ship cracked. The sailors screamed.

The sailors threw their cargo overboard. They prayed to every god they could think of. But the storm only roared louder. Then they woke up Jonah, fast asleep in the bottom of the ship. "How can you sleep at a time like this? Pray to your God!"

Jonah looked at the sailors. He looked at the sky. He knew it was his fault.

The sailors did not want to do it. They rowed as hard as they could for the shore. But the storm grew worse. At last, with shaking hands and tears in their eyes, they lifted Jonah up — and gently dropped him into the sea.

And the wind stopped. The waves lay flat. The sky turned bright. The sailors fell on their knees and worshiped the God of Jonah.

Three days in the belly of a fish

Down, down, down sank Jonah into the dark green water. Seaweed wrapped around his head. He thought it was the end. But God had another plan.

God sent a huge, enormous fish — bigger than a boat — and the fish opened its giant mouth and GULP — swallowed Jonah whole. Inside the fish it was dark. It was wet. It was very, very smelly. But Jonah was alive.

For three days and three nights, Jonah sat in the belly of the fish. And he prayed. He thanked God for saving him. He told God he was sorry. He promised that this time — this time — he would obey.

Then God spoke to the fish. And the fish swam to the shore. And with one great WHOOSH, it spat Jonah out — soggy, salty, covered in seaweed, but safe — onto the dry sand.

Nineveh listens

God spoke to Jonah a second time. "Get up, Jonah. Go to the great city of Nineveh, and tell them what I tell you."

This time, Jonah did not run. He went. The city was so huge it took three whole days to walk across. Jonah marched right into the middle of it and shouted:

And something amazing happened. The people of Nineveh listened. They listened from the smallest child to the king himself. They stopped being wicked. They prayed. They fasted. They turned to God.

And God — who is slow to anger and full of love — forgave them. He did not destroy Nineveh after all.

The God of second chances

Jonah should have been the happiest man in the world. Instead, he went outside the city and sat under a leafy plant and pouted. He was angry that God had been kind. He wanted Nineveh to be punished.

But God spoke gently to Jonah. He reminded him that He loved every person in that great big city — every grandma, every grandpa, every mom, every dad, every child, every cat and cow.

That's where the book of Jonah ends — with God asking a question. Because the story isn't really about a fish, or a storm, or a stubborn prophet. It's about a God whose mercy is bigger than any ocean — and big enough for you and me, too.